Latching device



B. J. COHON.

LATCHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1916.

Patented May 4, 1920.

INVENTOR B erg 21010217. ('0/10/2 13ENJ AMIN J. GOHON,

or wns'rwoon, new JERsriY, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF T0 LOUIS MOSKGWITZ, OF BAYONNE, JERSEY.

LATCHING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Pate ted May 4, 1920.

Application filed March 21, 1916. Serial No. 85,545.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN J. CoHoN,

a citizen of the United States,"residing at VVestwood, in the county of- Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latching Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in latches for doors and thelike; and has for its object to provide a latch that is of simple and inexpensive construction, capable of being operated with ease and certainty, and constituted of relatively few parts that coact in such a way as to reduce the likelihood of the latch ibeing opened from without by unauthorized persons seeking to unfasten the same.

. On the drawings, whichilllustrate an embodiment of my invention: 7

Figure 1 is a view of a latch made in accordance with my invention as it appears when the parts are in open position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the latch with the latch bolt shot, to secure a door or the like upon which the latch is employed; Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a view of a detail.

The same numerals of reference are used to identify the same parts throughout this specification. i

The mechanism of my latch comprises a carrier 1 and a bolt 2 in a support or casing 23. The casing will be located on a door or the like a, and the bolt 3 will have a lateral. projection or catch 5 at-1its forward end to engage with a striker plate 6. This plate will of course be fixed to the frame of the door. The adjacent end of the casing 1 will have an aperture 7,.through which the bolt 2 will be moved to enable the catch 5 to enter a corresponding opening 8 in the plate 6; and, with the casing mounted as shown, he dropped below the lower edge of this opening, in order to hold the door shut. Normally thecatch 5 will be out of alinement with the aperture 7 and it is first moved into such alinement, then out of the casing, and through theplate 6, and then behind the edge of the opening 8, in a manner that will be hereinafter set forth.

The carrier 1 is reciprocable in the casing 3 toward and from the aperture 7 and moves between the part ofithe casing shown as the top in the drawings and a guide lug 9.' The edge of the carrier-engaging the casing maybe bent over," or otherwise provided with a' flange 10, and its rear end may-be bent up, or otherwise provided with a lug or flange 11, to which is fixed a guide rod 12. Thisrod passes through a hole in the rear end of the casing and is surrounded with a spring 13 normally acting to impel the carrier toward the aperture 7. The edge engaging the guide lug 9 will have a recess 14 therein near the front end of the carrier for a purpose which will be explained presently. The rod 12 may be omitted and the spring 13 used alone.

In order to enable the bolt 2 to move with respect to the carrier, I provide slots 15 in the bolt and cause these slots to be engaged by studs 16 on the carrier 2. The slots extend transversely of'the line of movement of the carrier, and ordinary bolts or screws engaging threaded holes in the carrier may be used to'serve the purpose of the studs just mentioned. The edges of the bolt parallel to the line of movement of the carrier may be provided with flanges 17, as by turning or bending these edges, and the flanges in question may be perforated to receive guide rods 18 made fast to the flange 10. These rods will each be encircled by a spring 19 betweenthe upper flange on the bolt and the flange 10, to press the bolt away from the flange 10. When the carrier moves toward or from the aperture 7, the bolt of course moves in unison with it; and the bolt can thus be actuated tomiove the catch through the aperture 7 and opening 8 the plate 6.

.The casing is also perforated to give entrance to a shaft 20., carrying cams 21 and 22. The cam 21 isfiXed to the shaft and when the shaft ,is turned clockwise, as shown in the drawings,the nose 23 of this cam will act to force the bolt to move with respect to the carrier, against the force of the springs '19. The. cam- 22, on the other hand; is loose on the, shaft, but has shoul ders 2 1 and 25- adapted toi-be engagedby projections 26. and "27- respectively on the cam 21. These projections are not as far apart as the shoulders 24 and 25, and may be replaced by a single projection if desiredf When the bolt is withdrawn the parts of the latch are as in Fig. 1. In operation, the shaft is turned and the cam 21 moves the bolt with respect to the carrier, against the springs. 19, to bring the catch 5 in line with the aperture 7. At this time the carrier is stationary, and the bolt simply moves on the carrier across the line of movement of the latter. When the nose of the cam 21- has pushed the bolt up as far as it will go, the forward projection 26 on the cam 21 will engage with the shoulder 24 of the cam 22; and as this cam has its nose in the recess 14 of the carrier, the further actuation of the cam 21 will throw the carrier and the bolt in unison toward the aperture 7, and make the catch go through the plate 6. The spring 13 on the rod 12 may of itself be made strong enough to move the carrier through the aperture 7 as soon as the catch 5 clears the lower edge of the aperture 7.

Further motion of the cam 21 now advances the nose 23 and'allows the springs 19 to force the bolt downward and the catch behind the lower edge of the openingin the striker plate. The adjacent edge of the bolt will now come into contact with a straight portion of the cam 21 to the rear of the nose 23; and the springs 19 will not only hold the bolt, but also the cam 21.

It will. be noted that the shaft 20 carries a knob 28 on its outer end, and is held in a bearing 29 which has screw-threaded engagement with the casing and extends from the casing out to the knob. This knob is recessed on the side that is presented to the casing, as by having an annular groove 30 to-the casing, in which the outer end of the bearing is received. Hence the portion of the shaft outside of the casing is covered andprotected, and access to this part of the shaft is prevented, Consequently, the lock cannot be opened except by turning the knob; for any one boring through the door near the casing and trying to engage the shaft between the casing and the knob mechanically, to turn it, will find the lock cannot be manipulated in such. a way. The same result might be obtained by mounting the element 29 loosely on the shaft without fixing it to the casing. The groove 30 is preferably concentric with the shaft 20; and

the knob 28 should have that one of its sides thereon, and in Figs. 1 and 2 the lock is shown as if viewed from that side. By making the bearing 29 detachable, the easing can be mounted not only on the side of the door, but also in a mortise provided in the edge thereof. The groove 30 will of course always receive the end of the bearing 29 loosely.

To withdraw the bolt, the shaft 20 is turned in the reverse direction. The cam 21 first shifts the catch 5 into alinement with the aperture 7 and they opening 8; and the projection 27 on the cam 21 engages the shoulder 25 on the cam 22't'o return both the bolt and the carrier into the casing.

From the above description it will be apparent that my latch is well adapted to serve the purpose for which it is intended; and while I have shown but one construction, the principle of my lock may be embodied in other combinationsof parts that are similar in effect, and I therefore reserve the right to vary the shape, size and arrangement of parts to the full extent indicated by the meanings of the terms in which the claims are expressed.

Having described my invention, what I believe to be new, and desire to secure and protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination of a movable carrier, a bolt mounted on the carrier and movable across the same, a spring and a cam for controlling the movement of the bolt with respect to the carrier, and a spring and a cam for effecting movement of the carrier and bolt in unison, said bolt being first moved in one direction relative to the carrier, and then in unison therewith, and finally relative to the carrier in the opposite direction to afford a locking effect.

2. The combination of a movable carrier, a bolt mounted on the carrier and movable across the same, a spring and a cam for controlling the movement of the bolt with respect to the carrier, a shaft on which the cam is rigidly mounted, and a spring and a second cam for effecting movement of the bolt and the carrier in unison, the second cam being loosely mounted on the shaft and being engaged to be actuated by the first cam, the bolt being first moved in one direction with respect to the carrier, then in unison therewith, andthen finally with respect to the carrier opposite to the first direction to afford a latching effect.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification this 1st day of March, 1916.

BENJAMIN J. GUI-ION. 

